Carmenere: The Lost Grape of Bordeaux
Like most wine lovers, I enjoy “discovering” new wines with wonderful tastes. The wine that has been the greatest discovery from opening GOL! The Taste of Brazil three years ago is the Chilean wines made with Carmenere, a grape whose origin is a fascinating tale.
Chile has been producing wine since the 1500s when Spanish settlers brought over vines to plant in this Latin American country. Through a combination of great soil and amazing weather, and certainly a lot of luck; the country was able to remain disease free until today. In addition, Chile has become known, and received considerable recognition for its Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, amongst their reds.
In the 1870s France’s Bordeaux region was devastated by an outbreak of Phylloxera, a horrendous aphid that attacks the roots of vinifera vines, the species of the great European grapes. Several million acres of vineyards across Europe were destroyed.
Similar tragedy hit the U.S. as well. Oddly, whether through luck, careful importation policies or the presence of the monumental Andes Mountains separating Chile from the East, no such plague hit the plantations of the Chilean countryside.
Fortunately, this Bordeaux rootstock, Carmenere, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, had been planted in Chile, disease free, some 30 years prior to the European plague.
When the French viniculturists replanted their grapes, Carmenere was not among those chosen for re-plantation. Carmenere had been a difficult grape for the French environment, as it needed more heat than its counterparts, and even more problematic, it frequently caught “coulure,” a disease that caused grapes to drop prior to their being ripe, thereby causing them to be useless for wine production. With such complications, Carmenere was discarded by the French at that time.
However, Chile retains a wonderful climate, ideal for the longer ripening process that Carmenere requires. The fame that Chile’s Merlot achieved, unknown to its creators, was in great part Carmenere. The Chilean winegrowers did not realize then that Carmenere was a totally different grape from Merlot, not just a different variation of the Merlot grape as previously thought.
In 1994, Jean Michel Boursiquot, a visiting French ampelographist (an expert in identifying and distinguishing vines) from the Universite de Montpellier decided to investigate the Merlot plantings, and discovered the leaves of the Carmenere grape. Three years of DNA testing confirmed that indeed, the Carmenere grape was alive and more importantly, flourishing in Chile, in a manner superior to what it had ever achieved in France.
Many vineyards, when informed of this “new grape” present on their grounds for more than a century and a half, separated the plantings of Carmenere from Merlot and the Chilean government encouraged the branding of Carmenere. The international community, led by the University of Montpellier, officially accepted Chile’s Carmenere as a recognized wine category.
Initially, Carmenere continued to be blended with Cabernet and Merlot. Beginning around the turn of the 21st century, Carmenere has begun to be bottled on its own and has developed into some wonderful wines.
In my personal opinion, the pure Carmenere can be somewhat irregular, with the same producer in the same year having bottles that are spectacular and others of the same vintage more ordinary. However, the latest vintages of pure Carmenere or predominantly Carmenere are reaching new plateaus of high quality.
The great wineries are now dominating the grape with very late harvest and moderate oak aging. Certainly, the choice of Clos Apalta as the 2008 Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator consecrated Carmenere as a high quality grape. Clos Apalta is 61% Carmenere in its latest vintage and is truly a marvelous wine.
Below you’ll find some fabulous Carmeneres. Please note some of the best wines from Chile are now either Carmenere blends or pure Carmeneres. I believe there are some 20 truly fabulous Carmeneres that will be “discovered” in the years to come to be among the world’s finest wines. All wine lovers should “discover” their favorite Carmenere and we hope you’ll use this list as your guide.
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Like most wine lovers, I enjoy “discovering” new wines with wonderful tastes. The wine that has been the greatest discovery from opening GOL! The Taste of Brazil three years ago is the Chilean wines made with Carmenere, a grape whose origin is a fascinating tale.
Chile has been producing wine since the 1500s when Spanish settlers brought over vines to plant in this Latin American country. Through a combination of great soil and amazing weather, and certainly a lot of luck; the country was able to remain disease free until today. In addition, Chile has become known, and received considerable recognition for its Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, amongst their reds.
In the 1870s France’s Bordeaux region was devastated by an outbreak of Phylloxera, a horrendous aphid that attacks the roots of vinifera vines, the species of the great European grapes. Several million acres of vineyards across Europe were destroyed.
Similar tragedy hit the U.S. as well. Oddly, whether through luck, careful importation policies or the presence of the monumental Andes Mountains separating Chile from the East, no such plague hit the plantations of the Chilean countryside.
Fortunately, this Bordeaux rootstock, Carmenere, Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, had been planted in Chile, disease free, some 30 years prior to the European plague.
When the French viniculturists replanted their grapes, Carmenere was not among those chosen for re-plantation. Carmenere had been a difficult grape for the French environment, as it needed more heat than its counterparts, and even more problematic, it frequently caught “coulure,” a disease that caused grapes to drop prior to their being ripe, thereby causing them to be useless for wine production. With such complications, Carmenere was discarded by the French at that time.
However, Chile retains a wonderful climate, ideal for the longer ripening process that Carmenere requires. The fame that Chile’s Merlot achieved, unknown to its creators, was in great part Carmenere. The Chilean winegrowers did not realize then that Carmenere was a totally different grape from Merlot, not just a different variation of the Merlot grape as previously thought.
In 1994, Jean Michel Boursiquot, a visiting French ampelographist (an expert in identifying and distinguishing vines) from the Universite de Montpellier decided to investigate the Merlot plantings, and discovered the leaves of the Carmenere grape. Three years of DNA testing confirmed that indeed, the Carmenere grape was alive and more importantly, flourishing in Chile, in a manner superior to what it had ever achieved in France.
Many vineyards, when informed of this “new grape” present on their grounds for more than a century and a half, separated the plantings of Carmenere from Merlot and the Chilean government encouraged the branding of Carmenere. The international community, led by the University of Montpellier, officially accepted Chile’s Carmenere as a recognized wine category.
Initially, Carmenere continued to be blended with Cabernet and Merlot. Beginning around the turn of the 21st century, Carmenere has begun to be bottled on its own and has developed into some wonderful wines.
In my personal opinion, the pure Carmenere can be somewhat irregular, with the same producer in the same year having bottles that are spectacular and others of the same vintage more ordinary. However, the latest vintages of pure Carmenere or predominantly Carmenere are reaching new plateaus of high quality.
The great wineries are now dominating the grape with very late harvest and moderate oak aging. Certainly, the choice of Clos Apalta as the 2008 Wine of the Year by Wine Spectator consecrated Carmenere as a high quality grape. Clos Apalta is 61% Carmenere in its latest vintage and is truly a marvelous wine.
Below you’ll find some fabulous Carmeneres. Please note some of the best wines from Chile are now either Carmenere blends or pure Carmeneres. I believe there are some 20 truly fabulous Carmeneres that will be “discovered” in the years to come to be among the world’s finest wines. All wine lovers should “discover” their favorite Carmenere and we hope you’ll use this list as your guide.
1
2
